Lib at Large: No rock 'n' roll on Mount Tam

ROCK 'N' ROLL won't be returning to Mount Tamalpais this summer after all.

The organization that presented last June's Mount Tam Jam, the first major rock concert on the mountain in 46 years, has backed away from producing Tam Jam II this year.

Despite the success of the first concert, which raised $25,000 for Mount Tamalpais State Park, board members of the sponsoring organization, the 100-year-old Tamalpais Conservation Club, voted against any future involvement in rock shows on the mountain.

"A number of board members felt Tam Jam wasn't aligned to their mission and spoke out against it," said board member Danielle Duran, who served as associate producer of last year's show. She wanted to continue it this year, but was outvoted.

"I'm definitely disappointed," she said.

The TCC's actions are surprising in light of the success of last summer's eight-hour show. A sold-out crowd of 3,750 filled the 1930s-era stone amphitheater overlooking San Francisco Bay, drawn by a lineup that included local and national bands and the novelty of the occasion, the first major rock concert on the mountain since the Summer of Love in 1967. "From the state park's perspective, we thought it was very successful," Supervising Ranger Ryen Goering said afterward, noting that there were no arrests and the site was treated respectfully by well-behaved concert-goers.

It went so smoothly that state park officials gave organizers the green light for a second Tam Jam this year, with the possibility of making it an annual event, perhaps over two days rather than just one.

If there ever is another rock show in the Mountain Theatre, it won't be called Tam Jam. The TCC also kept the rights to the name even though the club won't be using it.

"They voted not to cede the name to those of us who wish to continue the effort to make this an annual benefit and celebration of the mountain," said Michael Nash, the independent concert promoter who was hired as the executive producer of the inaugural concert.

The breakthrough Tam Jam was conceived and spearheaded by then TCC president Larry Minikes. Five months after he helped put on a show that was universally praised, he was ousted from the TCC board in what he calls "a coup."

"There are ignorant forces within the TCC who adamantly are opposed to music on the mountain," he said in an email. "I tried to clear the board of these folks as they only made themselves known after the success. As you can imagine, it was not pretty and I lost the struggle."

Current TCC board president Janice Barry did not respond to requests for comment.

For supporters of music on the mountain, a glimmer of hope remains. Nash, last year's executive producer, is forming a new nonprofit to continue the project under a new name. He has been in conversation with possible sponsoring organizations, most notably the newly formed Tamalpais Lands Collaborative, a coalition of six land management agencies.

"Our aim is to mount an annual event starting in 2015, identical in spirit to the first Tam Jam," he said. "I'm getting 10 emails a day from fans, potential sponsors, people who want to volunteer, agents who want to book bands, asking what is the date, when is it happening? It's mildly heartbreaking that it isn't happening this year. But I'm trying to be in a positive state of mind, looking forward to the next version of what this may become."